•Benefits/leave time for moms and dads (and domestic partners) who have recently given birth to or adopted a child.

• "When I came here, I was single," Clements says. "During my 35 years here, I got married, I had two children, I put them through college. And at the same time as I was having a life outside of work, I was also having a career here that was engaging and motivating."

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND

Employees: 1001-1500

•"UNE supports the principles of flextime for our employees, and departments are encouraged to accommodate reasonable requests for alternative work schedules," says the university's director of marketing and communications, Kathleen Taggersell.

•In addition to a paid-time-off policy, for the past three years, UNE has instituted a voluntary unpaid personal time-off policy during the summer. For the months of June, July, and August, all salaried and hourly employees may request additional personal time off, without pay, "in increments they can afford."

•UNE's academic courses are open to regular full- and half-time employees at the reduced cost of just $50 per course for an undergraduate course and $100 for a graduate course.

•Free access to UNE's gym and workout facilities, and subsidized wellness programs, such as Weight Watchers.

GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND

Employees: 1001-1500

•"Active and growing wellness program" that includes smoking cessation courses, reduced health insurance premiums for those who take qualifying steps to improve their health, and Weight Watchers memberships.

•Participation in CA$H Greater Portland (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope), an initiative of the United Way, which offers free tax preparation and financial planning services for qualifying employees.

•"Stepping Stones" program that helps employees pursue higher education with tuition assistance and in-office course offerings to make it even easier to get to class.

•Goodwill Leadership Institute encourages in-house staff advancement.

•"We're always looking for additional ways to make it affordable and easy for employees to become who they want to become," says Lynne Gaudette, chief administrative officer.

THE JACKSON LABORATORY

Employees: 1001-1500

•Wellness program: Employees are encouraged to undertake a "biometric and lifestyle analysis once a year," which serves as a key to getting discounts on health insurance.

•Fitness center available to employees and their significant others; Biggest Loser-type competition in partnership with UMaine.

•Flexible work schedule and telecommuting are "very dependent on what your job responsibilities are," says Charles Hewett, chief operating officer and executive vice president; flextime for salaried employees and "staggered shifts" for hourly workers gives people "the opportunity to shape their day" according to their personal needs.

BATES COLLEGE

Employees: 501-1000

•Paid maternity leave, paternity leave through the Family and Medical Leave Act, and adoption leave (not all companies offer paid family leave).

•Telecommuting and flextime are common in some academic departments as work allows.

•Employee Assistance Program provides counseling, financial, and legal support services at no cost to employees and their families; free exercise classes and wellness education to all employees; free weekly meditation sessions through the Multi-Faith Chaplain Office.

•Tuition assistance for employees who wish to enroll in college or certificate programs.

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE | July 24, 2014 When three theater companies, all within a one-hour drive of Portland, choose to present the same Shakespeare play on overlapping dates, you have to wonder what about that particular show resonates with this particular moment.

CHECKING IN: THE NEW GUARD AND THE WRITER'S HOTEL | July 11, 2014 Former Mainer Shanna McNair started The New Guard, an independent, multi-genre literary review, in order to exalt the writer, no matter if that writer was well-established or just starting out.

NO TAR SANDS | July 10, 2014 “People’s feelings are clear...they don’t want to be known as the tar sands capitol of the United States."